Senate President Godswill Akpabio has recounted the harrowing experience of watching his wife, Unoma, spend six months in a coma in a German hospital, saying he was convinced that only divine intervention could save her life.
Akpabio disclosed the experience during a visit to the Prayer Ground of St Padre Pio in St Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where he said he had gone to give thanks for his wife’s recovery and pray for his family, Nigeria and the 2027 general elections.
According to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, Akpabio said his wife was placed on life support after a medical procedure reportedly went wrong, leaving her in a critical condition. 
“My wife was in a coma for six months in a hospital in Germany. She was 98 per cent dead,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President said doctors had little hope that she would recover as she remained on life support.
He recalled turning to prayer, seeking the intercession of the Virgin Mary and St Padre Pio while refusing to give up hope.
According to him, he used a picture of Padre Pio to make the sign of the cross over his wife while she remained on life support.
“Miraculously, she woke up. That hospital, to date, is yet to understand what happened,” he said.
Akpabio said the experience deepened his faith in the intercession of Padre Pio, explaining that his visit to the prayer ground was also a thanksgiving for what he described as his wife’s remarkable recovery.
“This is my 10th time here. When my wife was finally discharged from the hospital, she waited for three months before she could remember my name and those of the children,” he said.
Beyond his family’s experience, Akpabio used the visit to pray for Nigeria, particularly for an end to banditry, terrorism and other forms of insecurity affecting the country.
“We came to offer prayers and get blessings from God for ourselves, our families, and our dear country that is currently being ravaged by banditry and terrorism,” he said.
Describing the prayer ground as “Holy ground,” the Senate President said those who follow Padre Pio believe in his intercession.
He also disclosed that his family named one of their sons Pio in honour of the saint and established the Pio Football Academy, which he said provided training and scholarships to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Akpabio’s visit comes amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, even as insecurity remained one of the major concerns confronting the country.
The Senate President said his prayers at the site were focused on his family, Nigeria and the forthcoming elections.
